


Kitty Kat

by cate-lynne (catelynne)



Category: Avengers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-03-26 16:34:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3857521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catelynne/pseuds/cate-lynne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years ago, Katarina Collins was kidnapped and experimented on.  Now, because of her powers, S.H.I.E.L.D. asks her to join the Avengers.  This could be her chance to find a new home and family, or everything could fall apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sharedwithyou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharedwithyou/gifts).



> Okay, welcome to Kitty Kat - rebooted! I apologize. The reasons are complicated and I don't feel like explaining. Anyway...  
> This is still a gift for sharedwithyou (did you go see Ultron?! AAACK!) and it's still Avenger!reader, just slightly...different from what I had originally. Read on and let me know what you think?

I stood outside Avengers Tower, looking up at the huge building that I would, hopefully, be calling home from now on.  I clutched my duffel bag close and ducked my head.  If they didn’t like me, it was straight back to being shunted from temporary home to field office to recovery center for me.  I felt the slight warmth of a hand on my shoulder and looked up again.  Director Fury stood to my left, looking down at my nervous face with…well not a smile, but something close.

“Ready?” His voice was gentle.  I’d noticed that he only talked like that to me.  It fit, I supposed.  After his agents rescued me and brought me back to headquarters to debrief me, Nick had taken me under his wing, becoming the father I had never had.

“Yes, sir.”  I tried to speak, but it really only came out as a whisper.  He squeezed my shoulder once before dropping his hand to his side and leading the way inside.

In the elevator, I noticed Fury kept glancing at me as if trying to gauge my emotional state.  I turned to him and offered him a slight smile.  The tense lines around his eyes relaxed a bit and he started in on the “Dad Lecture” I could tell he had been working up to.

“If you need anything…you can let me know.”  He looked and sounded so uncomfortable; I fought the urge to laugh.  I was really touched that he felt such a responsibility for me that he would say…any of this.

~

Upstairs, the Avengers were gathering in the living room.  Bucky and Steve sat side by side at the counter, laughing as Clint tried to explain the toaster to Thor, while Loki stood to the side, smirking.  Natasha was lounging on the couch, flipping through a Russian magazine, keeping an eye on Bruce.  He was looking at Tony like he usually did when Tony was being an idiot.  Tony, obviously excited about their guest, was watching the elevator doors.  He reminded Natasha of a kid waiting for Christmas.  She rolled her eyes.  Sometimes she didn’t know what she was doing here.

“Sir, Director Fury and Miss Collins are in the elevator and will be arriving in seventy-five seconds.”

At that, everyone did their best to prepare themselves.  Bruce dragged Tony away from the elevator and over to the couch to deposit him next to Natasha.  She raised an eyebrow at him but did nothing other than close her magazine over the side of the couch and sit up.  Clint gave up on Thor and walked over to the large windows.  Thor and Loki looked at each other for a moment before Thor continued poking at the toaster while Loki picked up a huge book and opened it up to a seemingly random page.  Steve grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, unconsciously chewing his lip.

“Are we sure she’s gonna want to stay here?”  He asked.

“Why wouldn’t she?”  asked Bucky, who was running his hands through his hair.

“I dunno, maybe because of this idiot.” Natasha sighed, prodding Tony with one finger.  He made a face at her.

“Me?  What about the Winter Soldier, legendary assassin?”

“What?  Guys, Nat and Clint are just as bad.”

“Plus there’s Bruce.”

“Oh. Yeah.”  Everyone looked at Bruce, who shuffled nervously under the attention.  He cleared his throat and everyone looked away.

“Okay, so what’s a good reason for her to stay?”  Clint asked.  Everyone was silent for a moment before Natasha spoke up.

“Steve.”

“Me?”

Everyone nodded.

“Okay,” Said Tony, pointing at Steve. “Your job is to be BFFs with Katarina.”

“BFF?”  Steve was confused.

“Just be nice to her,” Bruce said hurriedly right before the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

~

When the elevator door opened, we were met with the sight of the Avengers, scattered about what looked like part kitchen, part living room.  Nick gently propelled me forward.  I looked down, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room.

“Katarina, I’d like to introduce the Avengers.”

~

When the elevator doors slid open, the Avengers were not prepared for what Katarina looked like.  Sitting on the couch where she was, Natasha enjoyed watching the male members of the teams’ reactions to the new member of their team.

~

Tony’s mouth dropped open.  He took in her pale skin, the wild mess of black curls, her bright green eyes.  She was gorgeous.  And obviously lost.  In need of a home.  Of a family.  Of someone to protect her.  Luckily, Tony happened to have the solution to all of that.    _Oh my God,_ he thought, _I’m so screwed._

_~_

Loki hadn’t been particularly interested in the fact that there was a new team member coming to the Tower.  All it meant really was that there was one more person to get on his nerves.  But when the elevator opened and he heard Fury introducing the team, he had to glance up.  And blinked.  The small person who stood next to Fury was definitely not human.  There was something wild and magical about her.  Loki couldn’t help but be intrigued.  _A mystery…and a pretty one, too._ He took in her beauty, and how it added to her appeal before swearing to himself that he would find out everything he could about the strange creature.

~

Bucky had been charming and handsome before the war and he had had no trouble finding a pretty girl to go dancing with.  These days, he couldn’t help but be a little appalled at the amount of skin girls showed, how rough their language was, and how none of them seemed to want to be swept away like girls back in the day used to.  But this girl…He stared at her tiny frame, her delicate features, and the shy way she looked at the ground.  It was like looking at a girl that had been plucked from his old favorite dance hall.  He flushed when her eyes flickered around the room and accidentally locked eyes with him.  _Aw, hell_ , he groaned internally.

~

When Clint glanced over from where he was looking out at the city, he saw a predator.  The girl might have looked shy and she was definitely pretty, but what caught Clint’s attention was the graceful, cat-like way she moved, the power that was so obvious to him but that he could tell she was either trying to tone down or didn’t want.  He didn’t know why she wouldn’t want it.  _No girl sexier than a powerful one._ Natasha was proof of that.  Her eyes, which looked like they were just glancing around, were actually taking in each person in the room and analyzing them for strengths and weaknesses.  She took in every entrance, mapping escape routes; she took in the furniture, figuring out what she could use to her advantage.  Clint knew that’s what she was doing because it was the same thing he did when he walked into a room.

~

Natasha watched the four men’s faces and could pretty much tell exactly what each of them were thinking: _Want_. She smirked before looking to the remaining three Avengers.  Thor had a smile on his face and was glancing between Katarina and Loki.  Apparently, he had picked up on his brother’s interest as well.  Bruce stood in the background fidgeting.  Natasha tensed.  God knows they didn’t want him to change.  That would not be a good first impression to make.  Her train of thought was interrupted when Steve strode forward with an arm outstretched to shake the girl’s hand.

“Steve Rogers, Miss Collins.  It’s a pleasure to have you here.”

Natasha’s smirk grew when she saw Katarina flush.  If the guys wanted a chance with her, they were going to have to get Steve out of the way first…

~

As Steve released my hand, I felt heat creeping up my neck.  _Oh my God…Captain America…_ , I thought dazedly.  I smiled up at him from behind a few curls that had drifted in front of my face.  A woman sitting on the couch stood up and walked gracefully forward.

“Hey,” she said simply. “Natasha Romanoff.”

“Nice to meet you,” I murmured, a little uncomfortable with her studying my face.  Suddenly, a very muscular blond man, who I assumed was Thor, appeared beside Steve.

“Lady Katarina, it is indeed pleasant to have you here,” he boomed. 

I smiled up at him. “Thanks.”

“I am Thor of Asgard.  And this…” he said, reaching out to pull a handsome pale man with black hair forward. “…is my brother, Loki.”

When his gaze met mine, I smiled and reached to shake his hand.  Instead, he turned it palm down so he could place a gentle kiss on my knuckles.  I blushed again.

“A pleasure to meet you, Katarina Collins,” he said, lips still against my skin.  He glanced up at me from beneath black eyelashes and I had to fight hard not to swoon right there.  If he didn’t drop my hand soon, I was going to have a heart attack.  As if he could read my thoughts, Loki smirked and released me to return to his book.

Nick chose that moment to interrupt.

“You’ll all have a chance to introduce yourselves properly later.  That,” he said, waving a hand at a slight man who stood farthest from me. “is Doctor Bruce Banner.  He’ll be looking into your…problem.”

The man gave a tight smile and raised a hand in greeting before hurrying out of the room.

“Best not to get him too excited,” muttered Nick to me.  I nodded in understanding.  I definitely didn’t want to have to deal with the Hulk.  Then he pointed at each of the remaining men. “This is Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes, and –”

“Tony Stark.”  The words were out of my mouth before I realized it. I mentally smacked myself.  Tony Stark had a reputation – one that I didn’t want to encourage.  The man looked delighted that I knew who he was.

“The one and only,” he smirked and winked at me.  Nick cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention back on him.

“Katarina will be staying with you all for the time being.  She will be an acting member of the Avengers Initiative.  If this works out, she can stay longer.”  He glanced down at me to judge my comfort level. “Romanoff, would you take Katarina to her room?  I need to talk to Stark about something.”

“Sure thing,” she smirked and motioned for me to follow her.  I followed her across the room, aware of several pairs of eyes on me.  I snuck a glance at Steve to see him mouthing something at the man Nick had called Bucky Barnes.  He was smiling and I couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was.  A second later, he disappeared from sight as we entered a wide hallway.

~

As soon as Katarina and Natasha disappeared down the hall, Fury rounded on Tony, a scowl already in place.

“Don’t even think about it, Stark.”

“What?” Tony protested. “I didn’t do anything!”

Everyone but Fury snorted.  Tony didn’t even have to do anything.  He was the epitome of inappropriateness.  Every breath, every glance, smirk, and move, had an underlying current of suggestion.  Unfortunately for Steve, Tony failed to turn off the charm even when speaking to men, often leaving Steve blushing.

Fury didn’t say anything else, just pinned Tony with a meaningful glare for a few more seconds before spinning on his heel.  He called a farewell over his shoulder to Katarina, which she returned, her voice echoing from somewhere down the hall.

With that, Director Fury disappeared into the elevator, leaving the Avengers wondering what it was about Katarina Collins that made her special to Nick Fury and even made the man protective of her to the point of giving warnings to Tony Stark. 


	2. Shopping and Fighting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a couple of days spent getting settled in, Katarina finds herself suddenly thrust into the world of the Avengers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I meant to update yesterday, but I was sick and didn't feel like puking on my computer. Anyway, I’ll be updating once a week for this story (on Thursdays) as well as on my other stories. Enjoy!

Two days later, I was all settled in.  I spent only a few hours unpacking and putting away the few items that I actually had.  The rest of the first day and the majority of the second day were spent figuring out the impressive technological toys that Tony had given me; including a brand new laptop that I knew for a fact wasn’t on the market and a phone that was more complicated than it needed to be.  I had figured out the basic functions at the end of the second day, after many hours spent cursing technology.  I fell into bed that night, thinking about my new team members and how I was probably going to be expected to interact with them soon. I sighed.  I had no idea how to even start.

That problem was solved for me the next morning when Tony Stark came bursting into my room.  I shot up from the bed, looking around wildly.  I had been dreaming…about mice?  I shook my head and took in the sight of Tony, dressed in simple jeans and a black t-shirt, standing in front of my closet that he had thrown open. 

“Morning, sunshine,” he greeted me, assessing the contents of the nearly empty space. 

“Hey,” I said, yawning.  “What time is it?”

“Time to go,” he smirked at me over his shoulder.  “We’re going shopping.”

 Wait, what?  I looked past Tony to peer into the closet.  There wasn’t much there.  And what little clothes there was looked a little worn but still…

“You don’t have to do that, Tony,” I mumbled, rolling back over in bed and pulling the covers up to cover my face.  I didn’t want to seem like I was taking advantage of my rich, spend-happy teammate. 

“Nonsense,” he scoffed and surprised me by flopping down on my bed next to me.  He was on top of the covers but I could still feel the heat radiating from his body.  “I know I don’t _have_ to do anything.  I’m Tony Stark.”

He waited and I sighed, pulling the covers down just enough to peek out at his expectant face.  When he saw my green eyes peering out at him, he smirked again and poked my forehead.

“Are you coming?  If you don’t, I’ll buy you everything in the store.”

I emerged a little bit more so that my entire face was showing.  He smiled encouragingly and got off the bed, holding out a hand.

“Are you sure, Tony?”

He grinned and, giving up on waiting for me, yanked me from the bed.  He strode over to the closet and pulled out a sundress.  Tossing it at me, he made his way towards the door.

“Meet me at the elevator in fifteen minutes, sunshine.”

And then he was gone.

~

In the kitchen, the rest of the team was eating breakfast.  Thor, having finally mastered the toaster, was shoving Pop-Tarts and frozen waffles into the appliance with a pleased expression on his face.  Bucky, Steve, and Clint were all watching from the counter, laughing, as he repeated tried to share the breakfast foods with his brother, who had a look of disgust on his face as he pushed away Thor’s offerings.  Natasha stood at the stove, stirring brown sugar and peanut butter into a pot of oatmeal.  Bruce was watching the coffee pot fill with a tired expression on his face.  All of them were shocked when Tony waltzed in with a huge smile on his face.

“What are you doing here?” Clint blurted out.

“Um, I live here, Legolas.  Actually, I own the building  Remember?”  Tony said, raising an eyebrow.

“He means, what are you doing in the kitchen…before ten o’clock.”  Natasha was confused along with everyone else. 

“Oh,” Tony said, snagging a Pop-Tart from Thor and taking a bite.  “I’m taking Katarina shopping.”

The effect was instantaneous.  Loki froze, wiping the emotions from his face and turning to face the billionaire, along with Bucky and Clint, who both stopped laughing to glare at Tony.  Natasha, Bruce and Steve all glanced at each other warily.  Each of their best friends had interest in the new member of the team and they all knew it.  This wasn’t going to end well.

Thor, oblivious to the tension that was going building around him, was the first one to see Katarina enter the room.

“Lady Katarina!” he boomed.  “You look lovely indeed this morning.”

~

Seven pairs of eyes snapped towards me and I shuffled nervously.  My hands fluttered around the skirt of my dress before coming up to smooth my hair.  None of the Avengers said anything. Attempting to break the increasingly awkward silence, I smiled at Thor.

“Thank you, Thor.”

~

Natasha stared at Katarina.  There was no denying that the girl was beautiful, which accounted for the reactions of her teammates. but that wasn’t what was making it so hard for Natasha to look away.  Katarina had something about her that could only be described as magnetic, something…not human.  It was unnerving. 

Looking around at the others, she could see that they weren’t in much better shape.

~

Tony was speechless.  He had randomly picked out a yellow dress for her, not really caring (because really, he was going to get her much nicer things) but he was so glad that _that_ was the one he had chosen.  The yellow was a bright contrast to the black of her hair and made her green eyes look darker, almost emerald.  When he had walked into her room that morning and taken in the sight of her tousled hair and sleepy eyes, dressed in her little sleeping shorts and tank top, he had thought he had never seen anything more beautiful.  He had been wrong. 

~

Looking at the creature before him, Loki found he couldn’t speak.  Loath as he was to agree with his brother, she was indeed lovely.  But it was more than that.  He could feel the power radiating from her, the barely suppressed magic that he could sense in her veins.  It was a wonder really, that none of the others could feel it.  Though he had seen a look on the Widow’s face that made him suspect that she had at least an inkling that the creature in their midst was more than she appeared to be.  Loki wasn’t happy about the fact that she would be spending the day with Stark, but vowed that as soon as she returned, he would seek her out to spend some time with her himself.

~

Bucky almost choked when he saw Miss Collins standing in the doorway.  He had to admit that he had spent a good amount of time over the past couple of days thinking about the beautiful girl.  She was perfect.  Looking at the modest dress that she wore and the way that her hair fell across her shoulders, Bucky flushed and then cursed himself for it.  It felt like he had done nothing but blush around the girl.  But he couldn’t help it; he just wanted to be around her, to make her smile, to hear her laugh.  He groaned internally when he remembered that she was going to shop with Tony.  He would have to do something to spend some time with her soon.  If he could get the blushing under control.

~

Clint stared at Katarina.  The predator he had seen a few days ago was gone.  She was still graceful, even standing still, and cat-like, but where there had been a lioness before, there was now a kitten.  She stood looking around at all of them with huge, blinking eyes while she fidgeted under their stares.  It made Clint want to walk over there and cuddle her.  He resisted though, making himself stay seated.  If he went over there, he wouldn’t be able to make himself let go.  And she was supposed to be leaving with Tony.  The thought almost made Clint growl.  Damn Tony.  He made a mental note to try to find her when she came back so that he could figure out what it was about her that made him feel this way.

~

Natasha shook off the strange vibe she was getting from the girl and turned back to her oatmeal.  As if that were a signal, she felt the men behind her unfreeze and return to normal.  She glanced at Thor, smirking when she saw him go back to shoving more frozen waffles into Tony’s toaster.   Looking over to the other counter, she could see Bruce staring at Katarina with a calculating look on his face.  Thinking back, Natasha remembered Fury saying something about Bruce looking into Katrina’s “problem”. Natasha wondered what he could have meant by that. Did she have an “Other Guy” that they were going to have to watch out for?  She hoped not.  One was enough to deal with.  Turning around again to grab a bowl, Natasha glanced at Steve.  He was whispering in Bucky’s ear, probably teasing him about the blush that was just receding from his cheeks.  Sighing, Natasha assumed the role (yet again) of the normal person in the group.

“Breakfast? I have oatmeal if you want some.”

Katarina was about to answer when Tony interrupted.

“No time.”  He chuckled at the pouty face Katarina sent in his direction. “Come on, sunshine.  We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

Natasha had to laugh to herself.  Katarina was in for a rough morning.  She had been shopping with Tony once and had vowed never to do it again.  He was an aggressive, impulsive shopper and had taken her into almost every store in the city, barely stopping to eat or rest for six hours. 

“Good luck!” Natasha called as Tony took Katarina’s tiny hand in his own and dragged her to the elevator, leaving the rest of the Avengers chuckling at the slightly terrified look on Katarina’s face.

~

I wasn’t sure what to expect shopping with Tony to be like.  But it was actually kind of fun.  He took me to a number of stores (I lost count after the twelfth) and followed me around the store, offering opinions and occasionally trying on some ridiculous hat or sunglasses to make me laugh.  We were stopped by fans a couple of times, but Tony just signed the slips of paper they shoved at him and took a couple of pictures before ushering me to the next store.  A few hours later, I had a completely new wardrobe that was Tony approved.  He had paid for everything and sent the many, many bags back to the tower.  When he was satisfied with the purchases, he pulled me into a tiny café for lunch.  Inside, he bought us both coffees and sandwiches.  We sat at a little table in the back corner.

“So, sunshine,” he said suddenly, leaning forward.  I unconsciously mirrored him, leaning forward as well and putting my chin in my hand.

“Yeah?”

“Wanna tell me what it is that you do?”

I tiled my head to the side.  “What do you mean?”

He just stared at me for a minute, raising an eyebrow.  After a second, I understood what he was asking.  He wanted to know about my powers.  I hesitated.  I had told Nick Fury after he rescued me, but other than him, no one else knew.  But he had sent me here to help the Avengers and to get help from Doctor Banner.  I took a deep breath.

“I - ”

At that exact moment, Tony’s phone rang.

Irritated, he pulled it out of his pocket and held it up to his ear.  “What?”

He was silent for a few seconds, but I could see his eyes widening and he glanced at me several times in concern.

“Got it,” he said and put the phone away.  Then he stood up and held a hand out to me. “Seems like we’ll have to finish this later.  The tower is under attack.”

I took his hand and we raced out to the car.

~

The Avengers were battling a rogue group of Hydra militants.  They had somehow snuck into the building and were doing their best to take out the Avengers.  They outnumbered the heroes twenty to one.  It just about made it a fair fight.  But both Natasha and Clint took hits that left them unable to take out as many enemies as usual and Steve and Bucky were struggling as well, facing too many foes to regroup.  Loki and Thor were working together, but both of them had also suffered injuries that slowed them down.  As soon as it became obvious that the tower was under attack, Bruce had retreated to the Hulk Room that Tony had built for him.  The team was about to be overwhelmed when Tony flew in, suit already initiating the targeting system.  He sent several small missiles into the room, taking out at least five Hydra soldiers.  He set to work on the others, keeping an eye on Katarina.  He had set her down in a corner, hoping she would present less of a target there.

It happened in less than thirty seconds. 

They were all focused on taking out the remaining Hydra soldiers that they didn’t see the one that had hidden behind an overturned table.  He had a dagger clenched tightly in his fist and his eyes were fixed on Steve’s back.  He waited a second to make sure the team was properly distracted before he ran from his cover, knife upraised.  He stabbed downwards...only to find himself flat on his back, knife skittering away across the floor.  He stared up with wide eyes at Captain America’s snarling protector.  The rest of the team turned around just in time to see him get his throat ripped out by a large lioness with bright, familiar green eyes.

And then they all watched in shock as it morphed back into Katarina Collins.


	3. To the Infirmary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the battle hits Katarina hard.

There was a beat of shocked silence from the Avengers.  They stood in a line, a little ragged looking from the fight, but any hurts that they had were forgotten in light of what I had done.  Surprisingly, it was Bruce who spoke first.  He had reentered the room without anybody noticing and was quietly making his way towards me.

“Katarina?” His voice was gentle and soothing but it didn’t stop my trembling.  When he saw how badly I was shaking, he put both of his hands up in a placating gesture.  “It’s alright.  You’re safe.”

I turned wide eyes on him, waiting.  Waiting for what, I didn’t know.  They were all just staring at me and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.  The reality of what I had done was overwhelming.  Tears started to escape and I had to gasp for air.

“Shh, Katarina, look at me,” Bruce said, trying to keep me from panicking.  Too late.

“I – I just – I _killed_ him,” I choked out.  I was reeling inside.  “Tore his throat out…”

“You didn’t have a choice,” Bruce interrupted my horrified ramblings.  “He was going to kill Steve.”

At this, everyone’s eyes flicked to Steve where he stood next to Bucky.  He looked like he was processing the fact that I had turned into a giant cat…apparently to save him. The rest of the team still didn’t say anything, either unsure of how to react or unsure of how I would react.  More tears filled my eyes at the thought of my new family being afraid of me.

“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered.  Bruce had reached me then and put a comforting arm around my shoulders.  I leaned into him, suddenly feeling exhausted.  “I had to protect the pride…”

And then everything went black.

~

When Katarina collapsed, Bruce caught her easily.  The rest of the Avengers unfroze.  Bucky helped Bruce carry Katarina to the infirmary with Steve trailing behind, leaving the rest of the team to clean up.  None of them spoke as they did so.  They were all thinking about the extraordinary young woman who had come to live with them.  They had almost cleaned everything up when Clint tripped. 

“Yeesh,” he muttered.   “Kat really did a number on him.”

He was looking at the body that sent him sprawling on the newly bloodstained and dirty carpet.  It was gruesome.  They had all seen it, but it was hard to believe.  The sweet girl that had blushed when she met Captain America, who wore yellow sundresses, and was under the very protective eye of Nick Fury was…what?  Magic?  One of “Xavier’s people”, as Nick sometimes referred to them?  Whatever she was, it was hard to ignore the evidence of it that was starting to decompose in the middle of the living room.

~

Locked inside my own head, I was reliving the worst time in my life.  Men in white lab coats with shiny instruments were poking and prodding me, sending jagged bolts of electricity through my bones and pouring acid into my veins.  I screamed in pain and cried for help but no one answered.  They never did.

I fought for consciousness, but I couldn’t escape the nightmare.

“Please,” I gasped, when I could feel the outside world, the real world, so close and yet…I was pulled back in, screaming in pain and wondering desperately where my friends were.

~

The Avengers had long since cleaned up and were headed to the infirmary as a group to check on Katarina.  Natasha was about to knock on the door when it suddenly flew open and Bucky came stumbling out, white in the face.  As the door swung shut behind him, they could all hear it – Katarina was screaming in unmistakable agony.

~

When Tony heard Katarina screaming, he tried to push into the room but found the door locked from the inside.  He banged on the door, desperate to get in.  He was vaguely aware of the others behind him, asking Bucky what had happened, but he didn’t care.  She needed him. _She needs me!_  He had been surprised earlier when she had taken down that Hydra soldier, but it didn’t change how he felt about her.  He had spent hours with her that morning, shopping, talking, and laughing.  The more time he spent with her, the more he just wanted to be with her.  But now he was on the outside with everyone else while she was in there, obviously in pain and he couldn’t help her.  He couldn’t do anything.

~

Though Loki could no longer hear Lady Collins’ screams, he could feel her pain radiating through the soundproof walls.  He hunched against the wall behind him, trying to block her.  Even though he was just experiencing the “echoes” of her pain, it was excruciating.  But she was far too strong, or the pain was, and he found himself becoming overwhelmed by the onslaught of physical pain.  He briefly considered delving into her mind to find the source of her turmoil to see if he could put a stop to it, but ultimately decided against it _.  If this is just the echoes, I don’t think I could handle the source._   Only the Allfather knew how she had survived it.

~

Bucky was traumatized.  They had carried Miss Collins into the infirmary and lay her on one of the many beds.  Steve, gazing concernedly at the young woman on the bed, had asked Doctor Banner why she had collapsed.  Bucky had stopped listening mostly when the shorter man had started talking about shock and mental strain.  He was thinking about the way that Miss Collins had transformed and leapt into danger to save Steve.  She was probably the bravest woman that he knew, besides Natasha.  He paid more attention when Doctor Banner said something about her powers.  There was a possibility that the transformation from person to cat to person again took a physical toll on Miss Collins, leading to her collapse.  Bucky was about to ask if Doctor Banner thought there was anything he could do to make it easier for Miss Collins when she started screaming.  It came out of nowhere.  It was a litany of “please”, of “help me” and “stop”.  Doctor Banner had scrambled forward, trying to determine if she was awake or not.  When he discovered that she was still unconscious, he tried to wake her, but couldn’t.  Steve was gripping the metal bedframe at the foot of the bed, face drained of color and eyes wide.  Bucky imagined he must have looked the same, backed against the wall opposite from Miss Collins’ bed.  He didn’t think it could get worse – she was obviously in pain or remembering pain and she couldn’t wake up.  He had been wrong.  It got so much worse.  She screamed for Doctor Banner first.  His name being wrenched from her throat was like a blow to the man.  He stumbled back from her and looked pained, tormented.  Bucky knew it must have been difficult to be a doctor, a man who helped people, and to not be able to help a girl who was screaming for his help.  Steve was looking at Bruce with pitying eyes.  It didn’t last long.  Because then she screamed a different name.  Steve’s.  _Oh my God_ , Bucky thought in horror as he watched Steve’s reaction.  The man’s muscles all tensed and his knuckles on the metal until he could see it bending under the pressure.  It lasted for only a minute before she apparently gave up on Steve rescuing her and she started calling for Tony.  That was when Bucky turned to leave.  That was when he fled.

~

Clint had been totally pumped earlier. Those initial observances he had made about Kat – the cat-like grace, the predatory glance – had all been spot on.  She could transform into a lion, how cool was that?  And she saved Steve, which was always a good thing.  But then she had collapsed and a stab of panic had gone through Clint.  It wasn’t as bad as what he was feeling now though, knowing she was in pain.  There was no comparison.

~

In the first few moments after Katarina’s transformation, Natasha had been worried about her cat form.  Was she like the Hulk?  Was she all animal or was she still Katarina under the fur and pointy teeth?  She had said that she didn’t mean to kill the man and Natasha guessed that she meant that that had been the lioness’s idea.  But her concerns vanished when she heard Katarina’s comment about protecting the pride.  If some of the cat’s instincts crept in, it wouldn’t be a problem as long as it worked in their favor and that Katarina was the prevalent consciousness within the cat.  But would there be anything left of the girl after this?  The screaming was blocked by the soundproof walls, but they had all heard enough to know that nothing good was happening in there. 

Natasha glanced at Thor.  He was hovered concernedly around Loki who was a crumpled heap on the ground.  Apparently, he was feeling to shock waves of Katarina’s pain in the other room.  Bucky was still a mess, sitting with his back against the wall and his knees drawn up against his chest.  He stared off into space and Natasha was struck with how much he looked like a little boy in that moment.

Hours had passed and the Avengers were all still huddled outside the infirmary door, everyone slumped on the ground except for Natasha and Tony.  They stood by the door, waiting for news.  Natasha felt a flare of concern for Bruce and Steve as well.  They had been in there the entire time.  It had to be getting to them.  Finally, gasping, Loki pushed himself up from his ball on the floor so that he could look at all of them.

“It’s over.”

~

When I finally opened my eyes, it was dark outside the only window.  I sat up, registering the faint ache in my muscles.  Glancing around, I recognized the room around me as some sort of infirmary, made apparent by the beeping machines, plethora of medical equipment, and the unmistakable smell of disinfectant and air freshener.  A sudden intake of air beside me captured my attention and I twisted to see Steve straightening up in the chair beside my bed.  Glancing past him, I could see Doctor Banner curled up on one of the other beds.

“Miss Collins?” Steve’s voice was cautious, like he was trying not to scare me.  “Katarina?”

“Hey,” I rasped out before a coughing fit overtook me.  The noise woke Bruce who was at my side in a flash, one arm holding me up while the other smoothed my hair out of the way.  Steve scrambled for a glass of water that was on the bedside table, handing it me when I had to pause to breathe.  I gulped it down too quickly and ended up spraying half of it all over myself and my caretakers when another round of coughing hit.  It was a few more minutes before my breathing had returned to normal and the coughing subsided but no matter how many times I tried to clear my throat, the ache there wouldn’t go away.

“What happened?” I whispered.

“You don’t remember?” Bruce asked, looking intently into my face.  I thought for a minute, trying to figure out what the last thing I could recall was.

“Hydra’s soldiers attacked and…I transformed to stop one from killing Steve.” I stopped to glance at the blond man.  He gave me the tiniest smile and nodded for me to go on, reaching out to take my hand in both of his.  “And then…I passed out?”

I looked between the two men, looking for confirmation that that was indeed what had happened.  They glanced at each other before returning their attention to me.  The hesitancy in their eyes made me nervous.

“It seems,” Bruce started, glancing at Steve again for backup, “that either the after effects of the battle or the stress of your transformation caused you to pass out, yes.  But…”

He looked uncomfortable. “But?”

“After you passed out...”

What was it that was so bad?  What weren’t they telling me?   My eyes were flickering back and forth between the two men.  Sudden realization hit.  “What did I do? Did I hurt someone?”

“No,” Steve said immediately, squeezing my fingers where they were laced covered with his.  “Nothing like that.”

I felt so much relief, it was like the world had been lifted from my shoulders.  Steve saw me relax and offered me another small smile.  But that still didn’t explain why they looked so worried…and haggard.  I looked up at the doctor for explanation.

“You were…trapped.  In a nightmare or a memory.  We couldn’t wake you up,” Bruce spoke lowly, assessing my reaction.  I couldn’t help it – I tensed up.  “You were screaming.”

“For how long?”

“Around five and a half hours.”

I blinked.  Jesus, no wonder it felt like my vocal cords were shredded. I took a deep breath.  “Did I say anything?”

“Um, it varied. ‘Please’, ‘stop’, ‘help me’…”

There was more, I could tell.  “And?”

Steve spoke up, surprising me.  I looked into his tired eyes and realized that there was pain with the exhaustion. “You called out for Bruce and Tony and…me.”

“Oh, God,” I whispered, realizing how hard it must have been for my friends to stay with me - to hear me calling to them for help, only for them to be unable to wake me.  “I’m so sorry.”

Steve smiled softly.  “It’s alright, Katarina.  We were just worried about you.”

I looked at Bruce who had shifted at some point so he was no longer supporting me but sitting on the bed beside me with a comforting arm around me shoulders.  He smiled too.  It was silent between the three of us for a few more minutes before I thought of something else.

“How long have I been here?”

“Only two days,” Steve reassured me.  I nodded.  That was alright.  Steve took a deep breath and I could tell what was coming next.  “Katarina, can you tell us what happened?”

I knew what he was referring to.  He wanted to know about the nightmare – the memory - that my mind had locked me in.  I nodded slowly.  “But it would be better if I could tell the entire team at the same time.”

Steve nodded in understanding. “I’ll round them up as soon as you feel up to it.”

Sudden exhaustion took over and I struggled to keep my eyes open.  Chuckling, Bruce helped to lay me back against my pillows, pulling the blankets up around me.  Steve still clutched my hand and he applied light pressure as I drifted off to sleep.

“Don’t worry, Miss Collins.  I’ll be right here.”

I think I smiled, but I couldn’t be sure.

~

The Avengers, still gathered in the hallway outside of the infirmary, slept peacefully.  Natasha and Tony still hovered by the door, but they had long ago slid down the wall to sit.  There had been no sound, no sign of life from within the room and silence hung over the exhausted heroes.  Suddenly, Natasha jerked her head up, staring down the hall.

“Did you hear that?” she whispered to Tony, who shook his head but got to feet anyway.  They were about to go and investigate when a man burst into the hall, a furious look on his face and a gun in his hand.  He stormed towards them, stepping on several Avengers.  Nick Fury was on a mission and nothing was going to stand in his way.

“Where is she?!” he growled.


	4. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers learn more about Katarina’s powers.

Three days later, Bruce cleared me to leave the infirmary. He did give strict instructions that I was not to do anything that would require physical exertion.  Still feeling a bit weak, I readily agreed.  I was escorted back to my room by a hovering Nick Fury.  He had burst into the infirmary a few days ago, gun waving and scowl in place.  He spent the first several minutes of his visit ignoring everyone in the room so that he could thoroughly scrutinize me for injuries, all the while muttering under his breath about “stupid-ass Hydra” and a bunch of other stuff that I hadn’t been able to catch.  When he was done inspecting me, he rounded on Steve.  What followed was the equivalent to a dad yelling at a young man for letting his teenage daughter ride his motorcycle, but blown up a hundred percent.  Steve was looking guiltier and guiltier by the minute until I had to speak up.  The change in Fury’s face when he turned from Steve to me would have been comical if I wasn’t so upset by Steve’s obvious misery.  I explained what had happened and even bullied Nick into apologizing to Steve, leaving him and Doctor Banner gaping in shock.  After the drama was over, Nick explained that a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that worked in the lower levels of the tower had learned of the fight and passed the information on to him.  He had immediately set out to see if I was okay.

As sweet as Nick’s worry was, I was starting to feel kind of claustrophobic.  He was like a helicopter parent, in all of the worst ways.  Once he had calmed down and put the gun away, he had planted himself next to me, ordering Steve and Banner out of the room so he could talk to me.  What followed was painfully awkward as he tried to tell me that I didn’t have to tell the team if I didn’t want to, which was the most he had ever said in relation to the subject ever.

“How much are you going to tell them?” he said gruffly, realizing that I was already resolved to talk to my new friends.

“Everything,” I said simply. 

~

The Avengers were gathered in the kitchen, much like they had been the first time they met Katarina, when she appeared.  She walked slowly and carefully, as if not to spook them.  Nick Fury was walking close behind her, scowl in place, keeping a close eye on her progress.  Everyone was quiet for a moment.  It was the first time they had seen Katarina since the battle, besides Bruce and Steve.  The infirmary had been on lockdown for the first day so that Bruce and Steve could keep an eye on her.  After that, none of them had dared to enter while Director Fury was present.  The man’s protectiveness was…endearing, but none of them wanted to deal with the possible violence he might display.  He was terrifying enough without it.  So they had kept their distance, though each desperately wanted to see her.

Standing in front of them, Katarina looked down shyly, biting her lip.  She wore a pair of dark jeans along with a light grey t-shirt.  They were simple, but obviously expensive – one of the many outfits Tony had bought her.  She looked so normal, so human, that it was hard for the Avengers to rectify the girl they were seeing with the lioness that had killed for their leader.

As the silence stretched on, it became awkward.  Until Fury cleared his throat, glaring at all of them to the max, jumpstarting them into action.  It was Bucky, surprisingly, that was the first to speak.

“How are you feeling, Miss Collins?”  His voice was strained and full of concern, making several of his teammates glance at him.  They knew he was still having trouble with what had happened in the infirmary.  Apparently, so did Katarina.

“Fine, thank you, Bucky,” she whispered, glancing up at him from under her lashes.  “And, um…”

She glanced at the others before taking a step towards the Winter Soldier.

“I wanted to tell you that I’m…so sorry.  About what happened.”

Everyone looked surprised.

“You had no control over that,” Natasha broke in, earning a small smile from Katarina.

“I know, but still.  From what Bruce and Steve told me, it was pretty awful.”  She turned her gaze back to Bucky.  “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

Everyone surprise increased tenfold when she suddenly reached out and pulled him into a hug.  Nobody but Steve ever really had any physical contact with Bucky and the team were unsure how he would react.  For a second, he was stiff and uncomfortable, making the rest of the Avengers hold their breath.  But then he relaxed, winding his arms around the small woman who was clinging to him.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Miss Collins,” he muttered into her hair.  She pulled away slightly, rolling her luminous green eyes.

“Seriously? Call me Katarina, Bucky.”  She smiled at him. “Forgive me?”

“Of course…Katarina.”

Then they broke apart and the rest of the team came forward to hug and express their happiness that she was recovered.

Steve was first, being the closest to Bucky and therefore Katarina.  He held her tightly, almost crushing her.  Se wheezed as the air was forced from her lungs and the rest of them smiled.

“Can’t…breathe…Steve,” she forced out.  Steve chuckled and loosened his grip.

“Sorry.”

She smiled up at him and reached up to flick a clump of hair that had fallen out of place back off of his face.  She didn’t notice the tension suddenly radiating from four of the others.

“You give the best hugs, Steve,” she said as she let go and stepped away.

“Bet I can do better, kitten,” Tony said, suddenly taking Steve’s place.  He wrapped his arms around Katarina’s waist and pulled her forward and up so that her feet were no longer touching the ground.  She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.  Then she was laughing as tony swung her around.

“It’s a tie, I think,” she laughed as she was set back down.  Tony looked into her eyes for a second before stepping away, not wanting to be bowled over by Natasha who was shoving past the rest of the boys.

She strode up to Katarina and gripped her chin firmly but gently, turning her face this way and that.  Then she looked the rest of her up and down, as if to confirm that her new friend was indeed all there.  Then she leaned in and carefully hugged the smaller woman, making the men behind her gasp.  It wasn’t often that Natasha showed affection.  She didn’t say a word, just released Katarina and retreated to her seat near the window.  Then Thor was striding forward, reaching out to carefully put his arms around Katarina.

“It is indeed good to see you well, Lady Katarina,” he boomed and she grinned.

“Thanks, Thor.” 

Suddenly, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.  The rest of team watched curiously as she listened.  Their curiosity turned to uneasiness when her eyes widened and her face paled.  They could guess what Thor was telling her.  She broke away from him and looked around, searching.  When her eyes landed on Loki, sitting tensely on a stool, the look in her eyes was heartbreaking.  There was so much guilt and pain there that it took their breath away just to see it.  She walked over to the raven-haired man slowly.  When she reached him, he wouldn’t look at her and she had to put a hand under his chin, much like Natasha had done to her.  She stared deep into his eyes, trying to assess the damage.

“Are you okay?” she finally asked quietly.  Loki simply nodded before clearing his throat.

“I suppose it should be I asking you that.”

Katarina smiled and pulled him into her arms.  The rest of the team was shocked at Loki’s response.  His face buried in her hair, he held her tightly.  None of them dared mention the way his shoulders heaved, like he was taking deep breaths to regain control.  It was so rare for Loki to display any sort of emotion or lack of control.  It was unnerving to watch.

It was Clint who finally spoke.

“Alright, Loki, share.”

Everyone chuckled and Loki pulled away from Katarina, avoiding everybody’s eyes.  Katarina watched him for a second, a tiny smile on her lips, before she turned to Clint.  He bounded forward and swept her up in a hug.

“Hey, Kat,” he muttered into her hair, just loud enough for the others to hear.  “We were worried about you.”

“I know,” she murmured against his shoulder.  “I’m sorry.”

He set her down and everyone turned to look at Bruce.  He shifted under the attention.

“What?”

“Come here!” Katarina laughed.  Blushing, he gave her a quick hug before retreating.

“Are we done here?” Fury said suddenly, making everyone jump.  They had forgotten that he was there.

“Nick,” Katarina said warningly.  He sighed.

“Very well.  Do you want me here for this?”

“I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to a retelling of my history – that you already know.”

He nodded and waved goodbye, heading out through the elevator.  When he was gone, everyone else turned to Katarina.  She shifted nervously before gesturing at the living room.

“Can we go in here to talk?”

~

Once everyone was settled into chairs and sprawled across sofas, I started.  Figuring it was best not to sugarcoat it, I jumped right in.

“When I was thirteen, I was kidnapped by Hydra.  I was taken to a facility in remote northern Canada where they experimented on me.  I didn’t understand a lot of what was going on, but I eventually figured out that I had a dormant ‘mutant’ gene that they were hoping to awaken.  Something to do with who my father really was and the hope that they could figure out how to control it…and me.  Obviously, they were successful in bring my mutation out of hibernation.  But they couldn’t figure out how to keep it under control.  After S.H.I.E.L.D. found and destroyed the lab, Nick took me in.”

~

The Avenger gaped at Katarina.  She had been tortured, experimented on, for years and had only been rescued a year ago?  And there she was, sitting in front of them, telling them her horrifying history like she was reading them a bedtime story. 

~

Tony was pissed.  As Katarina talked about the experiments that were done on her, he gritted his teeth and his hands balled into fists.  _Those bastards_.  They were lucky they were already dead.  Tony had slipped into the seat directly to Katarina’s right.  And as he listened to her story, he studied her profile.  She wasn’t nearly as calm as she looked.  He could see how much it was costing her to stay strong.  Without thinking about it, he reached out and caught her hand in his.  She glanced at him in surprise without pausing before gently squeezing his fingers in gratitude.  Tony felt himself melt a little bit.

~

Loki was still recovering from the… _incident_.  Obviously, he wasn’t feeling the pain anymore.  His pain had ended as soon as Katarina’s had.  No, it was the psychological aftermath that Loki was still dealing with.  And it was tearing him apart.  He didn’t understand how Lady Katarina had endured that much pain for years.  It would have driven him mad.  And while her strength, independence, and abilities made him admire her, he couldn’t help but think that it would be best if he left her alone.  She needed someone who was strong and could take care of her and that would never be him.  He was falling apart, a monster.  He would never be good enough for her.

~

Bucky was in shock.  He had recovered from the horrifying experience in the infirmary.  Now, it was the revelation of Miss C-…Katarina’s…past that was making him sit, frozen, as he listened.  Hydra had done even more horrible things to her than they had to him, as hard as it was to believe that that was possible.  The sudden urge to hold her, to take her hand like Tony had, was overwhelming.  He understood.  He knew.  _We’re the same_.  It was all he really wanted – a person who could understand.  And if that was what he wanted, it was possible that that was what she wanted too…

~

Clint could hardly believe what he was hearing.  Those…freaks in lab coats had done _what_ to her?  Calm, calm, he had to remind himself.  She’s safe here.  _I won’t let anything hurt her.  Ever._ He shifted and fought the little voice in his head that was telling him to go find his bow and stand over her protectively. He had a feeling that wouldn’t go over to well.

~

Natasha was impressed.  If Hydra had spent, what, ten years?  Ten years experimenting on the girl in front of her, and Katarina wasn’t a terrified mess that locked herself in her room, then she was stronger than Natasha had thought.  It was comforting, really.  She had been so worried about the younger girl, more than she would like to admit.  It went against everything in her training, but Natasha had already started to view the small woman as kind of sister.  And she wasn’t the only one.  Natasha glanced over at Thor.  He had a concerned look on his face as he listened to Katarina’s tale.  When he had been speaking with Natasha last night, he had confessed that his feelings toward their new teammate had taken a strange turn.  He had slipped and referred to her as ‘little sister’ before blushing and retreating quickly to his room.  Bruce sat with an unreadable expression on his face.  Natasha knew that he was struggling to keep his anger in check.  She noted how the tips of his ears turned green for a second before returning to their normal color.  When he caught her looking, he nodded tensely, letting her know he was under control.  She checked on Steve last.  His hands were clasped in front of him and his head was down.  When Katarina stopped talking, he raised his head and the guilt in his eyes made Natasha flinch.

“I’m so sorry.”

Because of course he was going to blame himself.  If Hydra had been taken down the first time, if S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn’t been infiltrated, she might not have had any of that happen to her. 

~

I blinked at Steve.

“Why are you sorry?”

Before he could answer, I caught a glance from Natasha and understood.

“Steve, it’s not your fault.”

“But if – “ he started to gripe, but I interrupted.

“ _If_ doesn’t matter.  I’m just glad that this whole thing had led me here, to you guys.”

The tension drained out of the room and I could see several faces softening.  I shifted uncomfortably.  As much as I enjoyed having my friends around me, relaxed and calm, there were limits.  Too much of a good thing, right?

“So…I assume you guys have questions?”

There were several heads nodding, and I settled into my spot on the sofa.  Tony was still holding my hand, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on the back of my hand.  It felt nice.  I smiled at him and noticed how happy looked, sitting next to me.  It made me happy.

Clint distracted me from my train of thought. “So, you can turn into a lion? Just like that?”

“Mmm, well, kind of.”

“Kind of?” Bruce asked, leaning forward.  I nodded.

“In theory, yes.  But…I hadn’t ever shifted voluntarily before a few days ago.”

The others were quiet, taking in this new information.  Steve looked like he was processing again.  I smiled a little to myself.  It seemed like I kept surprising him.

“Can you partially shift?” Bucky said suddenly, surprising me.  I smiled at him.

“You mean like this?”  I concentrated and claws extended from the fingertips of my free hand.  They were white, beautiful, and wickedly sharp.  Tony yelped and dropped my hand, making everyone laugh.  I retracted my claws and took his hand again.

“Does it have any effect on you physically?”  I raised an eyebrow at Natasha.  “I mean, while you’re in your human form.”

“Oh, yeah.” I looked down, embarrassed.

“What is it, Lady Katarina?” Thor said, taking in my red cheeks and downcast eyes.

“I just…” I paused, unsure how to word it.  “When I’m really happy, I purr.”

Eight heads turned sideways, faces full of confusion.

“What?” Clint asked, obviously voicing what they were all thinking.  I sighed.

“I know.  It’s strange.  It doesn’t happen often though.”

“Huh,” Bruce muttered as everyone’s head returned to their normal positions.  “Anything else?”

“Um, I like to be on high ground.  And there a couple of places where I’m really sensitive.”

“Um,” I could practically hear the dirty thoughts racing around Tony’s head.  I elbowed him.

“Not like that.”

“What?” he said, protesting his innocence.  He gave up after a minute, knowing it wasn’t going to work.

“Think about a cat, Tony,” Steve said, glancing at me for confirmation.  “Where are cats sensitive to touch?”

After thinking for a moment, Tony reached a tentative hand up to the top of my head.  Before I realized what was happening, he was gently scratching the sensitive part of my head, right at the top.  Between the space where my cat ears would be…

When his fingers came in contact with the crown on my head, I couldn’t help it, I tilted my head so that he was putting more pressure on the area.  My eyes closed in happiness and I scooted close to Tony so that I was practically sitting on top of him.  Before I knew it, a purr was forcing its way up my throat.  This continued for a minute before I realized what was happening and jerked away from Tony.  I flushed deeply and looked around.  The expressions on the faces of the people around me ranged from shocked to uncomfortable to amused. 

“Well,” Tony said, making me look up at him.  He was smirking down at me but I could see a faint blush on his face.  “That was…interesting.”

“I…” I was speechless. 

“Don’t worry, kitten,” Tony winked at me.  “I won’t use it against you.”

Yeah, right.

~

After that strange and fascinating display of…cat-like behavior, the Avenger dispersed at a glance from Steve.  As much as they wanted to learn more about Katarina and her powers – er, mutation – they knew that it was probably best to give her some space.  She had already shared a lot with them, more than they had thought she would.  They left her with Bruce, who insisted on taking her to the infirmary for a follow up scan, all wondering how else the strange young woman was going to surprise them and hoping they would get a chance to spend some time getting to know her better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, no! Loki is out of the race for Kat’s heart! Sadness…I know I pester sharedwithyou for Loki love, but then look what I do here. I’m a bad person.  
> Does anyone have any questions about anything? Something you’d like to see? Let me know!


	5. Cat's Out of the Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the Avengers know about Katarina’s mutation, she begins to relax around them. None of them, including Kat, were expecting the strange incidences that started. Things take a turn for the worse as time goes on.

It started a week after I had told the Avengers about my past.  I was hanging out on the couch in Loki’s bedroom, my head in Loki’s lap as he read aloud.  Over the past week, I had spent a lot of time with the demi-god, forging a strong friendship with him.  He had such a calming aura around him; the cat part of me couldn’t help but gravitate towards him.  He had just started the second chapter of _The Great Gatsby_ when a low purr started in the back of my throat.  He paused for a moment before continuing.  I couldn’t help but smile a little as he went on, his quiet, gentle voice building the world of Jay Gatsby around me.

If it had just been the purring, it wouldn’t have been a problem.  But it seemed as if the feline instincts that I fought so hard to control had gained strength, often catching me by surprise.  Like when Tony had startled me during training, sneaking up behind me and yelling “BOO!” and I jumped, higher than should have been possible, up into the rafters.  Natasha and Tony had just stared up at me in surprise, while I’m sure there was a similar expression on my face.  Or like when Clint came to wake me up from a nap and I hissed at him.  I _hissed_ at him.  The expression on his face would have been priceless if the whole situation hadn’t been so disturbing.  The final straw was when I woke up on top of a bookshelf.  I had no idea how I had gotten there and nobody else seemed to either.  I decided it was time to talk to Steve.

I set out, searching the tower for the blond man.  I found myself wandering down a hallway I hadn’t been in before, eyes locked on the door at the end.  It took me a second to realize I was following Steve’s scent, a mixture of mint and summer rain.  I paused in the hall, tilting my head back to try to catch it again.  As soon as I focused on it, Steve’s scent was all I could smell.  And I could tell a lot from it.  He was in the room that I assumed what his bedroom because of the obviously amount of time he spent here (his scent was practically soaking into the carpet).  There was something strange, not quite human.  Or maybe more human?  Whatever it was, it was pleasant.  I stood there for several moments, inhaling deeply.  I could tell that he was feeling relaxed and happy, more so than usual.  It made me smile.

Then the reality of what I was doing, identifying a teammate’s scent, using it to determine if he was in a room, and evaluating his mood, crashed down on me.  This was getting out of control.  I knocked timidly on the door, a storm of worry crashing through me. 

“Come in,” he called and I carefully pushed my way inside.  Steve was lying on his back on his couch, listening to music.  Frank Sinatra?  When he saw that it was me, he sat up and turned the music down.  “Hey, Kat.  What’s up?”

I thought about what had been going on, the obvious cat behavior that I seemed to have no control over and my eyes welled up with tears.  Steve stood up and walked over to put an arm around my shoulder.  He gently steered me over to the couch and sat me down.

“Here,” he said, handing me a tissue.  He didn’t say anything as I wiped my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. 

“It’s my…mutation.   It’s getting out of control.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…I _hissed_ at Clint.  And when Tony scared me, I jumped into the rafter of the gym.  And I started purring when I was hanging out with Loki.  And I woke up on top of that bookshelf without knowing how I got there.  And then, just now, when I decided I should talk to you about this…”

“Go on,” he urged.

“I followed your scent.  And I could tell stuff about you from it.”

“My scent?” he said, shifting and looking a little embarrassed.

“Yeah,” I said absently, thinking about the sudden change in his scent.  “Mint and rain.”

He relaxed a little and I realized what he thought I was saying.

“Oh…Um, sorry.  You smell good. I mean more than your scent.” I was getting flustered.  “Not…I just…”

He was starting to look amused and I sighed in defeat. This was not going well.  Deciding to skip to the important part, I looked up at him and took a deep breath

“I think,” I started.  I had thought about this a lot over the past few days.  “It would probably be a good idea to figure out what Hydra knew.  About my mutation, my father and controlling a mutation.”

Before he could reply, I was falling towards the floor as another flashback took over.  I vaguely registered Steve reaching out to catch me, panic in his voice as he called my name.  But I was too far gone to answer.  I was surrounded by scientists, all arguing about…a wolf?  Something ‘X’?  Without warning, one of them jolted me with electricity, a much higher voltage than usual.  I screamed in agony.

When I finally came out of it, Steve was holding me tightly, trying to keep me from thrashing around.  We were both breathing deeply, chests heaving.  He stared into my eyes, searching, trying to make sure I was back.  I closed my eyes, leaning my head on his shoulder and letting out a sob.  We sat like that for a minute and he let me cry on his shirt.  When I was calm enough, I disentangled myself from him.

“Kat, wait…” he said, reaching out for me.

“I’m okay,” I said quickly.  I could feel something rising inside me, something dark and violent.  I had to get away from Steve before I lost control of it.

I stood up and walked quickly towards the door, fighting to stay in control.  The _anger_.  It was staggering.  Steve reached out suddenly and took hold of my wrist.  I turned, twisting it out of his grasp and swiping at his face.  It was at the last second that I pulled back, realizing what I was about to do.  The tips of my claws barely missed his face.  We stared at each other in shock for a few moments before I broke.

“I’m sorry,” I choked out.  And then I ran.

~

After Steve recruited the rest of the team to help, the Avengers spent the rest of the day searching the tower for Katarina.  But she was nowhere to be found.  Their search lasted days, expanding across the entire city.  When there was still no sign of her, Steve sent a message to Director Fury, explaining what had happened and the resulting disappearance of Kat.  There was no reply.  After weeks of searching and finding nothing, the Avengers started to lose hope.

~

I sat in the back seat of the car, staring up at the large house as it drew closer.  When we pulled to a stop at the front gates, I turned to Nick and gave him a tight smile.  I was nervous, but was making a very determined effort not to show it.  He nodded in encouragement and I opened the door, stepping into the sunlight and out of the shadows.

~

The Avengers were a mess.  They had lost Katarina.  There was no word from Nick Fury.  Eventually, they started accepting missions again, but they were always, always keeping an eye for leads as to where their feline friend had disappeared to.

~

Tony was losing his mind.  He had done everything he could think of to find her.  He spent hours and hours searching for his missing kitten.  But there was no sign of her.

_Where are you?_

~

Bucky was seriously worried about Katarina.  Steve had told him what had happened, and he understood her need to escape.  He probably understood wanting to run away from uncontrollable actions better than anyone else on the team besides Barton.  But she had managed to disappear so completely, like a ghost.  And as the months dragged on, Bucky couldn’t help but wonder over and over again…

_Where are you?_

~

Clint was pissed.  He spent all of his free time in the gym, shooting hundreds of arrows into targets that were soon shredded.  He had said, he had _sworn_ , that he would protect her.  And now she was out there, alone, maybe hurt, possibly dead, and he was stuck at the tower, doing nothing to help.  It was maddening.  With every arrow he sent flying into the stupid target, one thought repeated in his head.

_Where are you?_

~

Natasha watched as the Avengers slowly fell apart.  Checking on Bruce, she found him in his lab, hunched over a microscope, looking a little more haggard than usual.  When she glanced into the living room, she saw Thor eating handfuls of Poptarts nervously while Loki appeared to be meditating.  Natasha knew that he was really searching for Kat using his powers.  He had been unsuccessful so far.  She went to find Steve last, knowing that the man was by far in the worst shape.  He blamed himself for Kat’s disappearance.  Standing in the doorway of his room, Natasha sighed.  He was standing in front of his Katarina Wall.  It was a giant spider web of information – possible leads, the little about herself that Katarina had revealed, and other random bits of information.  He was muttering to himself and Natasha caught the words ‘where are you?’ which she had to admit she had wondered several times.  It was bothering her extremely that they couldn’t find Katarina.  But she wasn’t obsessing like Steve.

“Steve…It’s been six months.” 

He turned around, looking lost, and opened his mouth to reply when the sound of the elevator arriving echoed through the silent tower.

~

When I stepped off of the elevator, I was greeted by…no one.  The room was empty.  I looked around, setting down my bags and wondering where everyone was.  I wasn’t left alone for very long.  A few seconds after I had started to wonder if they had all moved out, Natasha ran into the room with Steve a few steps behind.  When they saw me, they froze.  When I saw them though, I broke into a huge smile.  I had missed them so much…especially Steve.  I ran towards him and launched myself at him, making him come out of his shocked paralysis to catch me.  My arms were around his neck and my legs wrapped firmly around his waist as I hugged him, letting go of the awful memories of what I had almost done the last time I had seen him and replacing them with that moment.  He still smelled like mint and rain, and it was comforting to know that that hadn’t changed.

“I missed you,” I whispered in his ear, before climbing off of him.

But before he could reply, Tony skidded into the room.  When he saw me, he let out a whoop and strode forward to sweep me up in a huge hug.  It reminded me of a hug he had given me six months ago…except this time when he put me down, he grabbed my face and pulled me into a kiss.  Surprised, I froze, unsure how to react.  It wasn’t…unpleasant, just unexpected.  When he finally released me, he was smiling.

“Welcome back,” he breathed.

“Th-thanks,” I stuttered, still not sure how to process the sudden intimacy or the intensity of the affection in his eyes when he looked at me.

“I missed you, kitten.”

I let out a strained laugh.  “I never would have guessed.”

Grinning sheepishly, Tony stepped back.  I turned to Natasha and Steve. Steve was smiling slightly, though he looked uncomfortable with Tony’s very public display of affection.  Natasha was another matter.  Her face was blank, though I caught a glint of something in her eyes that made me shift nervously as she stalked towards me.  I froze as she walked around me, examining me.  When she stood in front of me again, she looked into my eyes.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly.  I nodded and she suddenly yanked me forward into her arms for a hug.  In the tension of her muscles, I felt how much she had missed me.  I smiled slightly as I wrapped my arms around her too.  When she released me, I took a step back.

“You’re not going to kiss me, are you?” I asked, glancing at Tony where he leaned against a wall looking happy.  

“In your dreams,” Natasha scoffed and I laughed.

Then Bruce was there, having appeared out of nowhere, pulling me into a quick but firm hug.  I smiled as he let go. 

“Are you alright?” he said, unconsciously echoing Natasha as he looked me up and down.

“I’m fine, Dad,” I teased.  “Besides, Nat beat you to the check-up.”

He smiled before backing away, looking around.  “Where are Loki and Thor?”

“There were here a little while ago,” Natasha said, glancing around.

“Thor and Loki were called to Asgard by an urgent message.  They left word that they would return as soon as they could.”

“Jarvis!” I said happily.

“Welcome home, Miss Collins.  I have informed Mr. Barnes and Mr. Barton of your return.  They will join you momentarily.”

Just then, Bucky strode into the room.  He looked around for a second before spotting me.  A cheeky grin stole over his face as he ambled over to give me a hug.  He pressed a tiny kiss to my cheek, making me blush.

“Good to see you, doll.”  I wondered at the term of endearment (that he had certainly never used with me before), but smiled up at him anyway.

Clint dropped from a vent, nearly crushing me.  I hopped neatly out of the way as he landed lightly on his feet.  _Almost like a cat_ , I smiled.  He pulled me into a hug, squeezing all the air out of my lungs.  I wheezed, trying to get enough oxygen into my lungs.  I could feel my mutation itching, urging me to use my claws to escape, but I resisted.  This was Clint; he wasn’t going to hurt me.

“Can’t…breathe…” I gasped and Clint released me, chuckling.

“Good to have you back, Kat.”

I smiled around at my friends, my family, glad to finally be home.  It had been a long six months without them.

~

The Avengers, minus Thor and Loki, al flitted around the kitchen, making a giant meal.  Tony was watching the noodles boil (Natasha wouldn’t trust him with anything else) while Steve and Bucky took turns stirring/taste-testing the sauce.  Clint was putting together a salad (at Natasha’s insistence) while Bruce toasted garlic bread.  Natasha stood next to Katarina where she was perched on a stool, overseeing everything.  Katarina had tried to help several times, only to be promptly set back on her stool.  As soon as everything was ready, the food and dishes (and Katarina) were whisked into the rarely used dining room.  Everyone enjoyed a meal of spaghetti, glad to have Katarina home.  It wasn’t until they had all finished dessert (pudding) that Steve asked what they were all wondering.

“Kat…where have you been?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who want to know what happened to Katarina while she was away, I’m writing a side story called A Whole Litter of Kittens that describes her adventures. I'll be posting chapter one in a few days...


	6. There's No Place Like Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katarina tells the Avengers about her time spent at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I'm a horrible person, I know.

The sudden silence in the room was tense.  I felt my muscles lock under the sudden weight of several pairs of eyes.  I was confused.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’ve have had no idea where you were for the past six months.”

“What?!” I gasped.  “Nick didn’t tell you?”

There was a collective answer in the negative.  It explained so much!  The overly enthusiastic welcome, the shocked looks on Nat and Steve’s faces when I first walked in…I couldn’t believe it.  Nick just let them think…what?  That I had been kidnapped?  Ran away?  That I was _dead_?

“Nick,” I growled, feeling my claws slide out, scrapping against the surface of the table.  I shook my head, trying to focus, but all I could think about was how worried and stressed my friends must have been.

_You’re not an animal._

It was something my dad had said to me a lot while we were training.  I could never figure out why, but he always had such a sad expression on his face when he said it, like he was quoting someone he had lost.  Focusing on that, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.  After a few seconds, my muscles relaxed and my claws retracted.  

I looked at the concerned faces that were trying not to stare at my hands.

“Sorry,” I said.  “I’m making progress but it’s still hard to control sometimes.”

“That’s…that’s alright,” Steve said, carefully reaching out to place a hand on top of mine.  I smiled at him before sighing and shaking my head.

“I didn’t know that you guys didn’t know where I was.  I thought Nick was going to tell you.  If I had known…” I thought back to the happy months I had spent away from them, feeling a flash of guilt. “I’m so sorry.”

“We’re just glad you’re okay, kitten,” Tony piped up, giving me a sweet smile.

I sighed.  “Thanks.  Well, before I left…”

I jumped into my story, starting with how my mutation had started to take control.  The team nodded along, remembering the strange behavior I was talking about.  When I got to the part about almost attacking Steve, I had to drop my eyes to the tabletop, unable to look anyone in the eye.  Steve reached out, again, to take hold of one of my hands, squeezing it.  I told them about my phone call with Nick and agreeing that it would be best for me to go somewhere that I could learn to control myself before I spent any more time with people I could hurt.

“So, let me get this straight:  Fury knew where you were the entire time?”  Clint sounded skeptical and pissed off at the same time.

“Yeah.  But I swear, you guys, I thought he was going to tell you.”  I thought back again to the super-welcome I had received.  “I couldn’t understand why you guys were so excited to see me, but I guess it makes sense now.”

Everyone smiled.

“So…the past six months?”

“Oh!  I was at a place called Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters.”  I caught the looks that a few of them shared.  “What?  Do you know it?”

“We know of it.  Continue.”

“I went there to learn how to control my mutation.  It’s full of people like me.”

“You mean everyone there turns into a giant cat?” Steve was looking slightly perplexed and I laughed.

“No, I mean that there are other mutants around.  They taught me a lot.  Like I said before, I’ve made a lot of progress.”

“Did you…find out about your father?” Steve asked, obviously unsure how this question would be received.

“Yes, actually.  I spent a lot of time with him.”  I thought back to intense training sessions, cheap cigars, and a small group of young men scurrying away in fear under my father’s threatening glare.

“Is he like you?” Bruce finally spoke, leaning forward to see me around Tony’s fluffy hair.

“Like…?  Oh, no.  Well, kind of.  His mutation is different, but yes, he does have one.”

“Is he as charming and sweet as you, kitten?” Tony flirted.

“He’s – well.  I’ll just let you guys see when you meet him.”

“Meet him?” Steve asked, sounding slightly concerned.

“He said he’d be coming into the city in a few days to check on me.  He’s kind of…overprotective.”

~

Just then, Thor and Loki reappeared.  When they saw Katarina, they both broke into wide smiles.   Thor, booming happily, strode forward to sweep Kat up into a hug.

“Lady Katarina!  You have returned!”  Everyone laughed at the slightly panicked expression on her face.

“Thor…you’re crushing…me,” she said, words muffled by Thor’s giant form.  He chuckled and set her back down.

“Apologies, my lady.”

Then Loki was there, wrapping his arms around her, holding tight for a few seconds.  His face was composed, reserved in the presence of the team he worked so hard to keep at a distance.  He let go when Natasha spoke up.

“She probably wants a minute to get settled back in, guys.”

They group left, heading in different directions after giving Kat one last hug, happy to see her safe and home.

~

Later that night, I knocked on Natasha’s door, going in when I heard her mutter an acknowledgement.

“Nat?”

“Kat,” she said, failing to hide her surprise.  I had never been to her room before.  “What’s up?”

“I just…” I fidgeted, staring at the Russian assassin where she was perched on the edge of her bed.  She was looking at me in concern. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.  Again.”

Her face cleared and she beckoned me closer.  I perched on the edge of her mattress, staring down at my hands.

“I honestly had no idea that you guys didn’t know where I was.  And I spent all that time…I don’t know, happy.  For the first time, I was surrounded by people who were just like me.  When I thought about you guys, it was only to make myself stop missing you, figuring I was training not just to control myself but to keep you guys safe.”  Natasha opened her mouth to say something but I plowed ahead.  “I really missed you guys.  If I had known that you guys were worrying about me, I would have come home right away.”

“I know,” she murmured before pulling me into a brief hug.  “We’re all happy that you’re back, safe and sound.  Just don’t expect anyone to leave you alone anytime soon.”

She was quiet for a moment. And then –

“So…Tony kissed you.”

“Don’t even,” I said, crushing her a little with my hug.  She laughed.

When she released me, I settled back on her pillows, focusing on the large flat-screen TV that was positioned on the opposite wall.  Nat watched my with a slight smirk.

“What are you doing?”

“Spending time with you.”  I patted the pillows next to me.  “Come on, what are we watching?”

“…Les Miz…”

“OOOH!” I squealed, my fangirl exploding out of me.  I had watched the musical at Xavier’s with some of the other girls and had loved it.  Nat leaned away from the burst of excitement, suddenly doubting the wisdom of ‘girl time’. “I love this movie!  Hugh Jackman did such a good job!”

Resigning herself to endure at least another hour of my enthusiasm for singing French Revolutionaries, Natasha sighed and settled in with me to watch.

~

The Avengers were not prepared at all for Kat’s sudden desire to spend time with each of them alone.  She called it Special Time. Apprehensive, the team waited to see what exactly this “special time” entailed…

~

A few days later, Tony walked into his workshop, cursing the later afternoon lack of coffee.  He stopped dead when he saw Kat.  She was wearing one of the outfits he had bought her – jean shorts and a black AC/DC tank-top that showed off her pale shoulders.  His surprise at seeing her turned into delight.  He stepped closer, accidentally kicking a discarded wrench.  At the sound of metal clanking against the ground, Kat whipped ere had around to look at him. For a second, Tony thought he saw her pupils slit like a cat’s.  But then she was launching into hundreds of questions about the suit and various half-finished projects in the room.  Tony happily answered and even demonstrated some of the less-deadly devices.  After hours of talking and laughing and tinkering, Kat sat up.  She had been lying along the edge of a bench while Tony worked at the table.  The reason for her sudden change in position became clear a moment later when he heard her stomach growl. 

A few minutes later they were flying to one of Tony’s favorite restaurants.

They talked about Kat, about her mutation and how she had learned to control it.  Tony asked with curious eyes about the extent of her powers that she had tested.  They talked about her dad and Tony was glad to head that the mystery man was sorry for leaving Kat and her mother, and that he was as protective of her as Tony expected anyone should be.  When it grew dark outside, Tony flew them back to the tower, setting Kat down on the balcony outside her room.  Sliding the face-mask up, Tony leaned in to kiss her goodnight.  His lips met nothing though.  When he opened his eyes, he saw a small black cat slinking away, green eyes glinting mysteriously.  Tony chuckled, shaking his head, before returning to the shop to finish calibrating the new suit he was working on.

~

“Wanna go dancing?”

Kat appeared in the kitchen doorway, waving a bright green piece of paper in her hand.  When she handed it to Bucky, he saw that it was a flyer for a “40s Decade Dance” for a local charity.  Immediately, everything that could go wrong popped into his head.  But she was looking at him with wide, excited eyes and before he could decide yes or no –

“Meet you in half an hour at the elevator!”

A little confused and very excited, Bucky went to Steve and Natasha to ask for help.  He had no idea what a “decade dance” was.

When he finally made his way to the elevator, Kat was there in a red dress that looked just like the style that Bucky remembered.  She took Bucky’s breath away. When she sees him, she smiles.

“James!” she enthused.  Bucky was reeling a little from the way her saying his name made him feel.  “You look perfect!”

He was wearing a replica of his officer’s uniform, which Natasha had had stashed away for some reason.  He didn’t really want to ask.  Steve had looked just as confused.

Speaking of whom…

Steve appeared, all smiles and compliments as he ushered them into the elevator.  As the doors slid close behind them, Bucky caught the wink that Steve sent his way and had to fight not to blush.

 

They arrived at the event, smiling for the cameras that captured their entrance and feeling the wave of excitement crash over them as the sounds of music and laughter reached their ears.  They danced for hours and Bucky could almost imagine that they had gone back in time to the 40s – before the war, Hydra, the ways that the world had changed.  But in his sleeve was a metal arm and his eyes would dart around every few minutes to assess his surrounding for new threats.  But Kat pretended not to notice.  She didn’t flinch when his left arm came up to grasp his waist.  She tried to copy his Brooklyn accent – and failed miserably, laughing the entire time.  She smiled up at him and treated him like a regular guy.  And Bucky fell in love with her a little bit more with every touch, smile, and kind gesture.

 

Back at the Tower, Bucky walked Kat to her room.  Outside her door, she turned to face him, suddenly looking shy.

“Thank you, James.  I had a wonderful time tonight.”

Again, she gave him no chance to reply before she was leaning up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek before disappearing into her room.  Bucky stood in the hall for a moment, shocked.  When he heard Steve coming down the hall, he slipped away to his room, not wanting to have to explain that the ridiculous smile on his face the product of the best night of his very long life.

~

The night after Bucky and Kat’s…date, Clint was in the shooting range, shredding target after target.  He was pissed, anyone could see that.  He had seen the entire thing from his spot in the vents – Kat and Bucky were definitely a couple.  If they weren’t, they would be soon.  She had kissed him!  On the cheek…but still.  It made a tight feeling appear in his chest just thinking about it.  He wanted her to be happy, but at the same time…why couldn’t she be happy with him?

The training room door opened, startling him.  Almost as if he had summoned her with his thoughts, Kat appeared.  He felt everything in him tense at the sight of her.  Her enthusiasm to see him wasn’t fair.  She was torturing him.  And she could apparently see that and asked about it, voice full of concern.  The following conversation was way for feelings-y and personal than Clint cared to think about.  Afterwards, Clint silently added another vow – he would be there for her.  He would keep Bucky in line and defend her from any asshats that decided that they needed to look at her.  He would be her best friend, her protector, her rock.  Her voice startled him out of his inner knight-of-the-round-table monologue, asking him if he was ever going to teach her to use a bow.

He chuckled and started the lesson.

~

Natasha watched as Kat made her way through Special Time with the Avengers, smiling.

With Thor, she initiated what Tony would start to call the Great Pop-Tart Debate over which flavor was the best, which resulted in the Midgardian and Asgardian stealing Tony’s credit card and going to every grocer in the city to find as many different possible flavors of Pop-Tart to try.  It was quite amusing.

With Bruce, she spent time perched on a lab table, asking him questions about various “science-y stuff” and making him laugh with her jokes.

Natasha didn’t see her spending time with Loki, except for catching her leaving his room late at night, hair disheveled and a sleepy look in her eyes.  Natasha tried not to notice.

She also didn’t see all of Steve’s time with Kat.  From what Bucky had told her, Steve had taken Kat to see all the alleys where he had been beaten up and subsequently rescued by Bucky, before stopping to get coffee.  Later, Natasha was walking past Steve’s room, only to see Steve sleeping on his back with a small black cat curled up on his chest, purring at the Frank Sinatra that floated through the room.

Soon, it was like Katarina had never left.  But every once in a while, there would be a moment when they all tensed and prepared to defend the small woman.  They all noticed, but didn’t talk about, their collective increase in affectionate contact with her.  It wasn’t a problem until Kat’s father arrived.

~

They were all lounging in the living room, watching one of the many movies on Steve and Bucky’s lists.  Kat sat between Steve and Bucky, laughing as Tony tried to sit on her lap.  Bucky had an arm around Kat and Steve was sitting so close, their knees were brushing together.  They had started watching the Lord of the Rings, a relatively safe choice after Tony’s Porn Fiasco, in which Tony had been hysterical and Steve had been traumatized.  After that, Kat had taken over getting the guys caught up.  Everyone was laughing so hard at Tony’s antics that they didn’t hear the elevator.  They only realized that they had a visitor when a gruff voice broke into their bubble of merriment.

“You wanna get your arm off of my kid?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm taking requests on tumblr! www.cate-lynne.tumblr.com


	7. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katarina's father visits, turning life at the tower upside down. Again.

Katarina jumped up, spinning around to see her father standing behind her with his arms crossed and a very pissed off look on his face.  That is, she caught a glimpse of him before the Avengers clumped around her in a very tense, very protective bubble.  She could not imagine that was going over well with the seemingly ageless man who was just as protective as, if not more than, the team of superheroes.

“Stand down, Lumberjack,” Tony quipped, and Katarina knew his suit, standing by in Sentinel Mode, would be aiming several guns at the man’s head.   A flash of panic went through Katarina. 

She pushed her way to the front of the group, ignoring the several pairs of hands that tried to hold her back.  The intruder was opening his mouth to saw something back when Katarina broke away from the hero-shield and threw herself into his arms.

“Dad!” she whispered, burying her face in the t-shirt he wore and clenching the leather of his jacket in her fists.  His arms came up automatically to catch her and he hugged her tight, the most fatherly display of affection he had ever shown her.  Behind her back, Katarina could feel the Avengers relaxing, probably looking at each other with emotions ranging from confused to sheepish to still not-quite-comfortable.

“Hey, kid,” the man said gruffly, setting her down before turning to face her friends.

“Dad, these are my friends, the Avengers.”  She looked up at the rough man with excited eyes. “Guys, this is my dad, Logan.”

~

The Avengers relaxed a little, but not much.  The man that stood in front of them, Logan, was not at all what they had been expecting.  Where Katarina had a feline air about her, Logan was all animal, in an almost canine way.  They looked almost nothing alike, except for the wild hair.  Not to mention the fact that he was glaring at them all in a decidedly hostile way, especially Bucky.  Despite all this, their little feline clung to his hand, looking up at him with admiring eyes.

Steve stepped forward, hand outstretched. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.  Steve Rogers.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Logan reached out to take Steve’s hand. “Howlett.  Logan Howlett.”

Steve stepped aside to make introductions for the rest of the team.

~

Once introductions were over, the team scattered, letting Katarina have some time alone with her father.  She looked up at him, noticing the way his brow furrowed at he watched Bucky leave the room.  She knew what he was thinking.

“Logan-” she started, but he interrupted.

“I don’t like the idea of you spending time with him.”

“You said the same thing about Remy.”

“Still.”

“This is ridiculous.  You haven’t even been here ten minutes and we’re arguing.”

“I just want to make sure you’re safe, bub.”

“I know that.  But you don’t have to worry about Bucky.  Really.”

“Well.  We’ll see about that.”

Katarina rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue.

~

After spending the day training and filling out mission reports, the team gathered in the kitchen to make dinner.  They were surprised when Katarina and Logan joined them.  Over dinner, they got a chance to ask Logan many questions, about him, Katarina, and the kind of training they had done to help her control her mutation.

“I am pleased to hear that Lady Katarina was kept out of harm’s way,” Thor rumbled, the rest of the team nodding in agreement.

Logan snorted. “Are you kidding me?  She’s a friggin’ magnet for trouble.”

“What happened?” Steve asked, sharing a worried glance with Bucky.

“Please don’t,” Katarina muttered.

“What, you don’t think they should know you decided to take down a Hydra camp?” Logan said, so casually it took a moment for everyone to realize the meaning behind his words.

“What?” Bucky said loudly, which was echoed more quietly by Tony and Clint.  Steve, who had his water halfway to his lips, slowly lowered the glass in his hand, his eyes wide and focused on Katarina.

“Is that true, Kat?” he asked.

“Yes,” she mumbled.

“And how did that go?” he said carefully.

“Fine.”

“You’re a terrible liar, kitten,” Tony said.

“She is,” Logan agreed,and began a retelling of what had happened during the fight…

_She shifted back when there were no more Hydra soldiers standing before her.  She spun in a circle, making sure that the area was clear.  And then she stopped, looking in his direction.   Logan was walking towards her, scowl in place, mixed oddly with relief and the adrenaline from the fight.  But he wasn’t who she was looking at, he could tell._

_“No!” Kat cried, lunging forward and shifting into a large white tiger.  Logan spun, but he was too late.  Kat collided with the man, teeth sinking into flesh, claws digging into skin and muscle to the bone.  But even as her teeth were closing around his neck, a feline scream was ripped from her throat as the machete dug deep into her shoulder._

_This time it was Logan’s turn to shout._

The Avengers all stared at Katarina, horrified by the story.  She avoided their gazes for a moment before sighing.

“I’m fine, really.”  Glancing at their still-horrified faces, she knew they didn’t believe her.  She pulled the neck of her t-shirt to the side, revealing a large raised scar on her shoulder.  It disappeared down the back of her t-shirt, making it impossible to determine how long it really was, but it still made everyone gasp.

“She saved my life,” Logan said, grabbing another dinner roll and tossing it from one hand to the other.

“It was worth it,” Katarina said, looking at Logan with eyes full of awe and admiration.  It was the kind of look that only a child can give to a parent.

“Stubborn little fool,” he muttered.

~

Bucky followed Steve as everyone moved from the table to the couched in the sitting area.  There was still a kind of tense quiet throughout the group.  Bucky knew what they were all thinking about.  Katarina had been injured and they had all been useless.  All the feelings of confusion, anger, helplessness, that they had felt when they thought she was missing came rushing back.  It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, by any means, and Bucky could feel it starting to consume him.

Suddenly, Bruce spoke up, surprising everyone.  He asked several questions about Logan’s mutation, which Logan answered in his gruff, suspicious way.  When he showed them his metal claws, Bucky leaned forward in fascination.  He had to admit, anything that had to do with a metal replacement or whatever to a human body usually caught his attention.  He felt a pang of jealousy when the man demonstrated his healing abilities.  That would be really useful to have, especially in their line of work…

“That’s what saved Katarina,” Logan said, glancing at his daughter.

“What?” Tony looked confused.

“She inherited some of my healing.  Not all of it, but enough.”

“Huh,” Tony said, clearly unsure how to respond to that.  Once again, it was Bruce that spoke.

“How does genetics factor in mutation?”

Logan went on to explain how the mutant gene worked, but Bucky wasn’t really paying attention. That is, until he heard a familiar name.

“Victor?” he asked, unsure if he had heard correctly.  “Victor is your brother?”

“Yeah,” Logan growled.  “You know him?”

“He worked for Hydra for a while.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Logan’s growl got impossibly deeper.  “That explains a lot.”

“It does?” Clint broke into the conversation.

“Victor killed Kat’s mom.  Right after Hydra took her.  Probably so she wouldn’t come to me for help.”

Bucky suddenly felt impossibly guilty.  That could have been him.  He could have killed the mother of the girl he might love.  The thought made him shiver.

Not long after that, the team went to bed, again leaving Kat with her father to talk; it looked like they had some things to discuss.

~

Tony had seen it.  Bucky’s arm around Kat’s shoulders.  His meal fingers laced with hers.  The adoring look in Bucky’s eyes.  The way Katarina looked back at him with a similar expression.

It hurt.

But he wanted her to be happy.  So he set his kitten free, smirking to himself at the thought of Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, the Asset, going up against the most terrifying foe imaginable:  The Dad.

~

Over the next couple of days, Natasha watched as Logan slowly inserted himself into life at the tower.  He spent a large amount of time sparring with Thor, which they both seemed to enjoy immensely.  He answered all of Bruce’s questions about his mutation, Katarina’s mutation, and mutations in general as best he could, acknowledging the fact that were certain things he didn’t know, but promised to find out.  He shared stories from WWI with Steve.  Apparently they had fought on the same battlefield several times, never quite meeting, but hearing about the extraordinary men in a different unit that were turning the war around.  Logan drank with Tony, talking about the best wine vintages among other things that Natasha really didn’t care about.  With Loki, he spent time practicing mental defenses and other skills to overcome a psychic attack.  He even asked Clint to show him the basics of archery.  He didn’t spend a lot of time with Natasha, except to help out with meals, displaying a surprising proficiency in the kitchen.  Natasha didn’t see him spending any time with Bucky, but that she attributed to the fact that Logan had caught Bucky and Kat spending some time alone together, which was obviously not okay with him.

Natasha caught Katarina watching all this with a look of contentedness on her face, and knew that this was what the girl had wanted all along.

~

The day for Logan to arrive finally arrived.  Professor Xavier apparently needed him back at the school.  So Logan packed his bags and said his gruff farewells, making sure to assure Bucky he would be back to see Kat soon.


	8. Lost

I couldn’t be happier, honestly.  I had everything I wanted.  My dad was back in my life, though not in the way I expected, and our relationship was steadily getting better.  My boyfriend, Bucky Barnes, was still by my side, despite the intimidating disapproval of my dad.  And I had found a family in the Avengers.  I was a full member of the team, thanks to the training I had gotten from Professor Xavier.  The ability to control my mutation had made my life so much better.

Occasionally, I still had trouble with remembering I wasn’t a cat.  I’d find myself asleep, curled up as a tiny kitten on Steve’s lap or Bucky’s shoulder without remembering how I got there.  Other times, I would be walking down hallways, unsure as to why, only to realize I was following someone’s scent that I had picked up.  Sometimes it was the mint and rain of Steve, or the metallic lemon scent of Bucky.  I started to pick out other scents for the Avengers, but I wasn’t always able to identify the individual components of each.  One of my favorites was Clint’s: chocolate and honey.

It was his scent that I followed to the training room.  It was time for me to start training with the rest of the team so that I could learn their fighting styles and them mine.  I was pretty nervous, which was understandable.  I was going to be showing the earth’s mightiest heroes what I could do, which, now that I thought about it, wasn’t much.  I mean, I could shape-shift.  What would that do against guns and blades?  Hadn’t I already proven how not cut out for the job I was when I took down that Hydra base with Logan’s help?  My nerves grew steadily as I took the elevator to the correct floor.

When the door opened, I could see that not everyone was there.  I knew that there was trouble in the realms, so Thor and Loki were absent.  Natasha was gone too, called away on a mission.  Bruce was sitting in the corner, reading a book.  He didn’t really need to train.  Tony was nearby, shooting beams of light at targets positioned on the other end of the room.  Clint was also practicing on the targets, but with his bow and arrows.  Steve and Bucky stood apart, practicing hand to hand combat.  When I stepped forward, Bucky caught my eye and winked before suddenly lunging forward and pinning Steve to the ground.

“Get off of me, jerk.”

“Punk.”

I smiled, watching the way they rolled around like puppies, wrestling.  I cleared my throat after a few minutes and they looked up, panting for air and smiling.  They clambered to their feet and strolled over.  When he reached me, Bucky swept me up into a hug.

“You ready?” he whispered in my ear, setting me down.

“No,” I replied, figuring honesty was the best way to go.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, slinging an arm around my shoulders.  I felt Steve tense beside me but couldn’t see his face. “You’ll do great.”

Steve cleared his throat.  “Bucky’s right.  You’ll be fine.”

I blushed and it was Bucky’s turn to stiffen.  I looked up to see him glancing between Steve and I and I had to sigh.  Boys.  They were being ridiculous.

“Alright,” I said, looking around.  “Let’s do this.”

~

Tony and Clint strolled over,  followed  a second later by Bruce, unaware of the slight tension between Steve and Bucky.  They were barely out of breath, the only evidence of physical exertion a thin sheen of sweat on their foreheads.  They were all very excited to see what Katarina could do.  Besides the first attack when Katarina had saved Steve, they had only ever seen her as a small house cat wandering around or sleeping on someone.  They were ready for the big stuff.

Tony grinned at Katarina as he approached. “Let’s get this show in the road, kitten.”

“Yeah, show us what you got, Kat,” Clint said, smiling as well.

Bruce said nothing, but offered her an encouraging smile and patted her on the back a little bit awkwardly.

She smiled nervously at them before walking away a bit.  Once clear of the group, she closed her eyes to concentrate and center herself.  It was different for her, shifting out of action as opposed to I the heat of the moment. 

A few seconds later, a large white tiger was standing in front of them.

“Wow,” Bucky muttered, stepping forward.  Steve caught his arm.

“Careful, Buck.  How do we know-”

The tiger suddenly sprang forward, coming to a perfect stop right at Bucky’s feet.  All four of the men jumped and the tiger let out a kind of rumbling purr that was correctly interpreted as laughter.

“Kat?” Clint inquired.

She purred again and licked his hand.  After a moment of hesitation, Clint bent down and started to pet her, rubbing his hand across the top of her wide head and scratching under her jaw.

“Clint,” Steve protested, but Clint just shrugged.

“How many people can say they’ve pet a tiger?”

Conceding his point, the others reached out to pat her a few of times before deciding to continue on with the demonstration.  She turned into an ocelot, a lynx, and a bobcat in quick succession.  After a couple of other shifts, they decided to call it good for the day.  Bruce had started muttering to himself, something about the mutant gene, while Tony was waving his arms around, spewing kitty cat armor ideas at the others.  They all started to file out of the room when Katarina shifted back into a human and caught Steve’s sleeve.

“Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?”

~

I saw the glance Bucky sent back my way when I grabbed Steve to talk, but I tried to ignore it.  I wasn’t doing anything wrong; I was allowed to talk to my friend if I wanted to.  I waited until the elevator door slid shut before I led Steve over to the stretching mats to sit.  I sat down cross-legged and he mirrored me.  I sighed, unsure how to proceed.

“What is it, Kat?” Steve asked, voice low.  His fingers brushed the back of my hand and I stared down at the contact.

“What’s going on between you and Bucky?” I said, deciding outright honesty and bluntness was the best course of action.

Steve sighed and withdrew his hand. “You caught on to that, huh?”

“You’re my best friend.  And he’s…I’m not actually sure what we are, but he’s important to me too.  Of course I noticed.”

“I’m happy for you guys, really,” Steve said, sounding so genuine that I smiled at him.  My happiness was short-lived though.  “But I had a talk with your dad before he left and…”

“Wait, this is about Logan?” I was starting to get really confused.

“Bucky’s not stable yet, Kat.  He still has panic attacks and slips into the Winter Soldier.”

“I know that.”  And I did.  I had been there for several of Bucky’s panic attacks.  I had even seen him as the Winter Soldier once.  Those experiences hadn’t been fun, but I it wasn’t like I was going to abandon Bucky just because he was having a hard time.  He needed support.  He needed me.

“And Logan is worried about you and the amount of time you spend with Bucky.  He doesn’t want you to get hurt.”  He was quiet for a moment, but then: “And I have to agree with him.”

“What?” I gasped.  It was like being slapped.

“I talked about it with Bucky,” he continued. “He’s not very happy.  He started – he said I was just jealous but that’s not true, Kat.  I just want to keep you safe.”

“I can’t believe this.  Bucky would never-”

“Bucky wouldn’t, that’s right.  But the Winter Soldier is not Bucky.”

~

The elevator ride back to the communal floor was awkward.  The others had finally caught on to the fact that something was wrong.  Each kept his distance from Bucky, letting him brood in the corner by himself.

~

Bucky could only imagine what Steve and Katarina were talking about.  What they were doing.  He had seen the star-struck way Katarina had looked at Steve when they first met.  And what about all the alone time they spent together?  Maybe...

Kat wouldn’t do that to him.  Steve was her best friend, just like he was Bucky’s.  He had to trust her and everything would be-

~

 There was a boom and suddenly the entire building was shaking.  Steve and Katarina jumped to their feet, conversation forgotten as they raced towards the stairs.  Emerging on the main floor, they watched in horror as Hydra agents swarmed over everything.  Katarina glanced at Steve, remembering the first time the tower had been attacked when she arrived – and how Steve had almost died.  Catching sight of his shield rom the corner of her eye, Katarina sprinted towards it.  Steve shouted after her, but she was already there, spinning deftly to toss the shield at its owner.f  He caught it with one hand and began to fight.

It wasn’t much of a fight.  They were badly outnumbered.  And it soon became obvious that their attackers had very little interest in Steve.  They swarmed like ants towards where Katarina stood, slashing with claws and ripping through flesh with sharpened and elongated teeth.  A group detached from the rest to rush at Steve, distracting him.  It was her screams that brought his attention back to Katarina.

~

As I dropped on of the Hydra thugs, another one popped up.  There were too many of them.  We weren’t’ going to win.  I felt a twinge of guilt that I would never get to see Bucky again, that I couldn’t have told him that I loved him, or hold his hand…feel his lips on mine…

A sharp sting in my arms jolted me back to the present.  I looked down.  A needle?  Within seconds, my claws were gone, as well as my feline teeth.  No.  No.  They had somehow taken away my powers.  Then hands were all over me, dragging me towards the hole in the side of the building.  I screamed.  Where were the others?  Where was Steve?

“Steve! Help! Steve! Steve!”

~

By the time the guys had managed to pry open the elevator doors, they were too late.  They found Steve unconscious, with multiple stab wounds, laid out on the floor of the living room.  His shield was nearby, as well as piles of black-clad bodies.  Bucky rushed to his side.

“Stevie?!  What the hell happened?”

Steve’s eyelids fluttered and he opened his mouth to murmur something unintelligible.

“What?”

“Kat,” he rasped.  “They took Kat.”

And then his eyes slid shut and his body went limp.

 


	9. Beaten

I lost track of time.

All I knew was that they had me.  Again.

The torture wouldn’t stop.

Punishment for escaping their grasp the first time.  For joining S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers.  For saving Captain America’s life.  For taking apart that camp.  For falling in love with the Asset.

The list of possible reasons went on and on.  Eventually, I stopped counting.  And then I forgot.

There was nothing left for me to care about.

There was only pain.  And the memory of blue eyes, an officer’s uniform and whispered sweet nothings, flowing in through my mind in endless Russian, oddly tinged with a Brooklyn accent.

~

“How did it go?” Steve asked Bucky as he reentered the room from a phone call.  The Avengers were gathered in the briefing room, discussing which Hydra camps they were going to storm next.  It had been weeks since Hydra had taken Katarina and they were all losing their minds a little.  It wasn’t as bad as the last time she went missing.  This time they had a rough idea of where she could possibly be.  Steve had recovered from the attack and started helping Bucky plan missions with a vengeance.

A few minutes earlier, Bucky had received a phone call.  From the way he tensed up and his face paled, Steve could only assume it was Logan, Katarina’s father.  They had tried to reach him at Professor’s Xavier’s school, only to be informed he was in Canada, retrieving a wayward mutant.  None of them relished the idea of telling the terrifying man that his daughter was back in the hands of Hydra’s mad scientists.  Unfortunately, it looked like he was back from his mission.

Bucky grimaced. “Not well.”

“What’d he say?” Bruce wondered, concerned.  He had, oddly, formed some sort of friendship with the mutant.

“A lot of cuss words,” Bucky said, glancing at Natasha.  “And that he wants to be here to help.”

“He’s coming here?!”

“Yeah.”  Bucky looked at all the horrified faces. “It’s not like I could tell him no!”

“Holy shit,” Natasha murmured.

“He’s going to break my tower,” Tony complained.

“He won’t….he might.  But not before he breaks Bucky.”

“Nobody is breaking anything,” Steve sighed, pinching his nose.  “We can’t expect Logan to stay away.  He has just as much right to be here as we do.  Kat is our friend, but she’s his daughter.”

“Steve’s right,” Bucky sighed.  “We just need to focus on finding her.  We’ll deal with other stuff later.”

~

I had buried myself so deep inside my mind, there was no way I was coming back out.  In there, everything was static.  There was nothing.  Time was nothing, pain was nothing, I was nothing. It was-

“Kat!”

What?  That wasn’t right.  There wasn’t supposed to be anything but me here.  But that voice…it sounded familiar.

“Kat, baby, please wake up!”

It was him.  He came for me?  I struggled to remember, to find a way out of the endless darkness in my head.  Blue eyes, impossibly blue.  Long, dark hair. A metal arm, holding me like glass.  A name, a name, I wanted a name-

“Kat.  Please…”

He sounded broken, like something was hurting him.  No.  Nothing would ever hurt him again, especially not in this place.  From somewhere deep within me, a growl fought to escape between my clenched teeth.  I felt my teeth elongate in my anger, in my concern.  In my desire to protect him, I let my claws escape and I fought to open my eyes.

“Bucky!” I gasped, finally remembering everything and jerking up into a sitting position.  I looked around wildly for a threat, but the only scientists in the room lay on the floor with red stains on their chests.  Bucky knelt next to me, eyes wide and jaw dropped in surprise.

“Oh my God,” said a voice behind me as another person entered the room.  Unable to recognize the owner of the voice, I reacted instinctively, jumping lightly down from the table I had been strapped to and pulling Bucky so that he was behind me.  I hissed, facing my opponent, and tried to ignore the pain that was burning across my entire body.  It took me a second to realize there was something hot and wet dripping down my body.  A quick glance down confirmed what I already suspected: blood.  It was everywhere.  My skin was a map of crisscrossing gashes, mottled black and blue under the red stain.  I looked like something out of that horror movie I watched with Clint and Natasha.

She was the “opponent” I had been prepared to fight off.  She stood across the room, still in the doorway, watching me carefully.  I could feel Bucky standing behind me, nervous, angry, and confused.

I turned to him and promptly collapsed.

~

Bucky automatically reached out to catch Kat, trying to ignore the slick slide of blood and torn, raw flesh.  He looked up, helplessly, at Natasha, still frozen in place.  She was looking around the room, horror on her face.  Bucky followed her gaze and felt revulsion and hatred deep in his gut.  The room was full of torture devices.

“Natasha,” he said, still unsure how to proceed.  She didn’t answer.  “Natasha!”

She jerked her head, looking at him. “What?”

“We need to get her out of here.”

At that, she came forward, looking down at Kat’s limp form.

“Christ, how am I supposed to carry her?  She’s a giant bruise.  And these cuts…”

“It’s a wonder she hasn’t died from blood loss,” Nat said, returning more to herself.  “I’ll tell the others we’ve found her.”

She pressed a hand to her ear, but received only static from the communication device in her ear.  She sighed.

“No signal.  We’re in too deep.  We’ll have to get out before we can contact the others.”

Bucky carefully lifted his girlfriend’s body, determined to take her home.  To safety.

Nothing would ever hurt her like this again.  He swore it.

~

Natasha couldn’t believe the room they had found Kat in.  The array of torture devices, all rusty with Kat’s blood, was enough to render even the Black Widow speechless.  When they took her away from that place, it was easy to see the relief on the others’ faces.  Thor and Loki stood a little apart, smiling slightly. Bruce was hovering over Katarina’s limp form, checking her vitals and trying to work around Bucky’s protective hold.  Steve stood almost as close as Bucky, his hand occasionally brushing against her head of matted curls.  Tony and Clint hung back, looking over Bruce’s shoulder as he worked.  Logan, whom they hadn’t been able to convince to stay behind, stood even farther away than Thor and Loki, though Nat could tell he was keeping a close eye on his daughter.

“How is she?” Natasha murmured, causing Bruce to glance up at her.

“Not good,” he sighed.  “Not good at all.”

Natasha thought about the way that Kat had sprang to life to defend Bucky and felt a pang in her heart.  What if that was the last thing she ever did?

~

When I opened my eyes, I was in a familiar hospital room at Stark Tower.  The room was quiet expect for the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the sound of traffic far below.  Turning my head, I caught sight of a shaggy mess of brown hair near my right hand.  Slowly, painfully, I raised my hand to run my fingers through the hair.  The owner of it woke with a start, jerking up into a proper sitting position.

“Bucky,” I croaked out, reaching for him and ignoring the pain in my arm.

He gently took my fingers in his own, the cool metal of his mechanical arm soothing some of the pain.  His eyes roamed my face as he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.  He seemed speechless.

“Bucky?”

At the sound of my concern, he shook himself out of it.

“Hey,” he breathed out.  “How you feeling?”

“Horrible,” I said, clearing my throat.  “Is there any water?”

“Yeah, here.”

After a moment of painful swallows and fumbling with the glass, I looked at Bucky.  I mean, really looked at him.  There were bags under his eyes and it looked like his cheeks had sunken in a bit.

“How long have you been here, Bucky?  How long have I been here?”

He wouldn’t look at me when he answered. “It’s been about a month and a half.”

“What?!” I gasped.  “And you’ve been here the entire time?”

“Of course.”  He grasped my hand again.  “Of course I was.”

I smiled, pulling on his hand a little bit so that he was lying on the bed next to me. 

“Alright, so I’ve been out for a month and a half and however long I was in that place,” I shuddered and felt Bucky tense next to me.  “So tell me everything I missed.”

~

Frm behind the observation window, the Avengers gathered to watch the couple on the bed talk, occasionally aww-ing when Bucky would reach over to brush some of Katarina hair out of her face or when they would share an adoring look.  Logan wasn’t too happy about Bucky being in there alone with Katarina, but even he couldn’t deny how great it was to see Katarina awake, laughing and talking with the man she was falling in love with as she healed.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments? Questions? Concerns?


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